Time lock



Aug. 18, 1936. c. G. SMEATON TIME LOCK I Filed Jan. 4, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR BY Mod/101% ATTORNEYS Aug. 18; 1936.

C. G. SMEATON TIME LOCK Filed Jan. 4, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 18, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TIME LOCK Clarence G. Smeaton, Milwaukee, Wis. Application January 4, 1934, Serial No. 705,178

8 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in time locks.

The object of my invention is to provide a lock for a door, drawer, or other openable member which is provided with a timed mechanism to control a locking device separate from the locking device controlled by a key.

Another object of my invention is to provide a dual system of locking devices for a drawer or door or similar closure member, one of the looking devices in my dual system being a standard type of locking member, and the other device being .used as a separate time controlled locking device set in locking position and opened in a definite sequence in the cycle of operation of said parts.

Another object of my invention is to provide a time lock in the form of an auxiliary locking device which is automatically operable in conjunction with a main locking mechanism automatically and without specific attention by the operator or person locking or unlocking a drawer or door with which the mechanism is installed.

Another object of my invention is to provide a time lock device, the operation of which is instituted by the normal operation of a main or principal locking device, but which is so mechanically divorced in its time lock operation from the mechanical devices comprising the principal lock that physical damage to the principal locking mechanism will not interfere with the time lock mechanism. i

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through the front portion of a drawerequipped with my improved tim'e lock.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 3.

Figure 5 is a section comparable to that shown in Fig. 1, and disclosing the principal locking device in almost complete retraction of the looking bolt, and my time locking device in almost complete bolt locking position. 7

Figure 6 is a view similar to the one shown in Fig. 1, with the principal locking device in unlocked position and the time lock device almost in position for bolt retraction to unlocked position.

Like parts areidentified by the same reference characters throughout the several views. v

I am aware that many devices have comparatively recently been developed for the provision of a locking device wherein preliminary movement of the principal locking mechanism institutes the operation of a time device which, in a certain sequence of movements, permits the retraction of the principal locking bolt. However, in such devices the association of the hand operated portions of the principal locking device with the time mechanism for retracting the principal locking bolt causes mechanical difliculties which may easily interfere with the normal authorized unlocking operation. I

Lik'ewise, many of the time locking devices heretofore devised have required a manual setting of the time lock mechanism upon each occasion when the drawer, safe door, or other closure member is to be locked, and failure to manually set the device for operation leaves the closure member merely subject to the protection offered by ordinary key or combination locks such as are prevalent upon the market.

My lock mechanism is installable in a small compartment H] which may take the form of an enclosure metallically boxed by the sheet metal ll. This boxed enclosure may be disposed as a part of the front wall of a drawer slidable into a drawer frame l2, or'the box ll may form a structural element in the door of a safe (not Principal locking mechanism In each of the views shown in Figs. 1, 5, and 6, the principal locking mechanism is disposed as to its major physical structure at the left of the center of each of said views and includes the following structural elements.

A principal locking bolt I5 is mounted for reciprocation through an aperture in the box H at [6 and through a slide bracket II. This principal locking bolt I5 is receivable in a recess IS in the frame I2 to prevent the drawer from being slidably removed from the frame, and the op-' eration' of moving the principal locking bolt' to and from locking position is a manual oneaccomplished by rotation of the handle l3 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and in full linesin Fig. 3. This handle I3 is mounted upon a handle shaft V 20 to the inner end of which is secured for rotation therewith, a manual lock plate 2| provided with spaced lugs 22 shown in Fig. 4.

A principal lock arm 23 extending from lock arm pin 24 on the plate 2| to a principal bolt pin 25 on the principal bolt I is fulcrumed upon a post pin 26 so that when theplate2| is rotated the principal bolt I5 is moved to or from locked position.

A key lock bracket 21 extending into the compartment ID from the front wall 28 of the drawer provides a mounting for a stop 29 slidable to andfrom engagement with the lugs 22 on the plate 2|. This stop is controlled by levers and linkage connected to the lock plug 30' of a-key lock 39, shown clearly in Fig. 1, where it will be seen that a crank 3| on the key lockplug- 30 is connected with a connecting link 32, extending to a lever 33 mounted for pivotal movement upon a fulcrum post pin 34. The other end of the lever 33 is provided with a slot at 35 to receive pin 36. extending from the stop 29.

From the above description it will be seen that when the key'lock is rotatedso as to withdraw the stop 29 from between the lugs 22 manual ro- 'tation of the shaft 20 and the plate 2| will cause the principal locking bolt' l5 to be adjusted as desired and I have therefore described the principal locking mechanism which, as, stated above,

appears at the left of Figs. 1, 5, and fi in my drawings.

Time lock mechanism A slotted ear 40 forming a part of the plate 2| embraces a pin 4| upon a time lock control bar 42, which is mounted in brackets 43 and 44 for reciprocation laterally of the .drawerand the opposite end; of thetime lock bar 42 is provided with a spring dog ;or pawl 45, provided with a @spring 46 which normally'maintains the pawl against a stop 4l. tion ofpthe pawl 45 about its pivot pin 48.

The pawl 45- is normally disposed so that its point 49 in its path of movement in accord with the reciprocation of the time lock control bar 42 'will impinge upon" time lock plate 50 and engage a notch at 5| therein.

a pin lfll and urged-by springlflZso that the dog stop arm |0 3 impinges upon the clock spring shaft 52; The cam surface I04 is then offered forinteraction with, the point 49 of the pawl 45,

. and'asthe pawl 45 passes over the cam surface I04 of thedog, the last forward urging of the winding operation is tapered off in such a way that the clock mechanism sufiers no shock when the point 49 ceases to contact the cam surface |-04at the extreme left movement of the time 7 lock control bar 42. r

Upon the return reciprocation to the right of the bar 42; thecam dog I00 may swing upon the pivot pin H, or the pawl 45 may swing upon itspin 48 so that other.

the two parts may clear each Since the time'lo ck plate 50 is mounted uponi-a This stop limits the oscillaclock spring shaft 52, movement of the time lock bar 42 and the point 49 of the pawl 45 to the left as indicated in Figs. 1, 5, and 6, will'cause the clock spring upon shaft 52 to be Wound up. At the same time that this winding operation is taking place, a pin 53 upon the time lock plate 50, is caused to rotate with the plate, and by reason of its engagement in the slot of a time bolt bar 54, causes the bar to rotate upon its pivot post pin 55. The other end of the time bolt'bar 54 is then raisedagainst apin 55 on the time lock bolt 51, thus causing the time lock bolt 51 to move to the position indicated in'Fig. 6. During the movement of the time lock bolt from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 6, a time lock stop block 60, mounted for .lreciprocatory movement with rods BI is caused clearly in Figs. .1, 5, and 6, and pins 56 and 51 upon the slide block! and the time lock plate 50, respectively, engage with the lever to place the springs 62 under compression between the stop block 60 and the slide block 63215 the winding operation is being completed. 1

At no time in the sequence of operations is the.

drawer unlocked. Manual lock bolt I5 is only partly retracted when time lock bolt 51 is engaged in its recess.

As soon as the time lock bolt 51 is set in complete locking position, the stop block 60, having time bolt 51 would be slowly returned to unlock-' ing position. However, in keeping with my desire to maintainthe drawer H in fully locked condition until the expiration'ofthe entire period for which the clock-work mechanism 10 has been set, I provide in the bolt stop lever 64 and the .lsprings 62 means for maintaining the stop block 60 in the position shown in Fig. 6 until the lower end of the stop lever 64 is in the extreme right hand position, by which time the slide block 63 has moved upon the rods 5| so as to impinge against retracting blockll which is secured to the rods 6|, and therefore has forced the block 60 and block II with the rods 6| to. the extreme right hand position, thereby withdrawing the block 60 from underneath the lock bolt S'L' The lock. bolt 51 is then permitted to drop bygravity to unlocked position.- The'clock is stoppedby th bar 54 and pin 53. a r

It will be noted'in Figs. 5, and 6 thatwhen the time lock control bar 42 slides to "the extreme right hand position, the pawl leavesits position against the stop pin 41.,and rides over the edge surface of time lock plate 50 until thepawl positiohedas indicated inFig. 1 in readiness for another time lock setting operation. 1 This is of j. .importance since any unauthorized manipulation of the handle l3 will cause the pawl 45 to again contact the time lock plate 58 and'engage the notch 5| therein itherj to prevent the further.

time clock rotation of the plate 50, or to actually wind up the clock mechanism again for another or minute sequence of operations.

It will be likewise noted from the above description, that the time lock mechanism is so completely divorced from the mechanical parts incident to the manual locking of the drawer that any rough usage or forceful manipulation of the handle [3 can do nothing more than reset the time mechanism. The time mechanism cannot be forced.

I claim:

1. In a lock for a closure member provided with a manually controllable lock bolt, a time mechanism and a separate time controlled lock bolt interconnected with the manually controllable lock bolt only through a time lock setting mechanism.

2. In a lock for a closure member provided with a manually controllable locking mechanism, a separate locking mechanism for said closure member, means interconnecting the manual lock and the separate lock, whereby to move the separate lock to locked position in the movement of the manual lock to unlocked position, and a clock mechanism for releasing the separate lock.

3. In a lock for a closure member provided with a manually controlled lock bolt mechanism and a separate time controlled lock bolt mechanism, a time lock bolt control bar interconnecting the two lock bolt mechanisms, whereby in the movement of the manually controlled lock bolt mechanism to unlocked position the time lock bolt control bar is moved to time lock bolt setting position, and a clock mechanism for returning the time lock bolt to unulocked position.

4. In a lock for a closure member provided with a key look, a manual locking bolt controlled by the key lock, and a time locking bolt, a manual lock plate connected with the manual locking bolt to move it to and from locked position, a time lock control bar connected to the manual locking plate, a clock mechanism for the time looking bolt, and a time lock plate for rotation by said clock, means interconnecting the time lock plate and the time locking bolt, and a pawl upon the time lock control bar for moving the time lock plate to time lock setting position.

5. In a lock for a closure member provided with a key look, a manual locking bolt and a time looking bolt, a manual lock plate connected with the manual locking bolt to move it to and from locked position, a time lock control bar connected to the manual locking plate, a clock mechanism for the time looking bolt, a time lock plate for. rotation by said clock, means interconnecting the time lock plate and the time locking bolt, a pawl. upon the time lock control bar for moving the time lock plate to time lock set position, a stop to prevent movement of the time lock bolt to unlocked position, and connections between said stop and the time lock plate, whereby to remove the stop and permit the time lock bolt to move to unlocked position.

6. In a lock mechanism a lock bolt and a time clock mechanism connected with the bolt to move to lock set position, a stop block, connections between the clock mechanism and the stop block for resiliently urging the stop block into position to prevent retraction of the bolt, said connections being provided with a retracting block for positively urging the stop block to a position whereby to permit the bolt to move to unlocked position.

7. In a lock mechanism a lock bolt and a time clock mechanism connected with the bolt to move to lock set position, a slide bar and a stop block slidable. thereon to and from a bolt retraction stopping position, a retracting block secured to the slide rod, a slide block between the stop block and the retracting block, resilient means between the slide block and the stop block, and connections between the cock mechanism and the slide block, whereby to urge the slide block against the resilient means in the movement of the bolt to lock setting position, and to urge the slide block against the retracting block in the movement of the clock mechanism to bolt withdrawn position.

8. In a look, a manual lock bolt and manually operable connections for moving said lock bolt to and from locked position, a separate time lock bolt interconnected with the manual lock bolt for positive movement against gravity to locked position, a time lock mechanism including a clock and means for setting the clock, said means being operatively connected to the manually operable connections for the lock bolt, a movable stop to block the retraction by gravity of the time lock bolt to unlocked position, and means to interconnect said stop with the time clock, whereby to move the stop and permit the gravity retraction of the time lock bolt.

CLARENCE G. SMEATON. 

